1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a thermostat housing assembly for mounting on an engine to control coolant flow.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional thermostat for an engine includes a valve biased to a closed position by a spring and includes an expandable system that expands in response to heat to open the valve against the spring. The thermostat includes a metal carrier that is disposed in the housing before the housing is mounted into sealed relationship with the engine. The thermostat is often placed in the housing before the housing is mounted on the engine. It is often a problem to obtain adequate sealing and to retain the thermostat valve and/or the seals in position during shipment and handling of the assembly before mounting on the support structure of an engine.
A thermostat housing assembly comprises a housing having a flange for mounting the housing on a support structure and a tubular spout extending from the flange and defining a passageway extending from an opening in the spout to an opening in the flange for fluid to flow therethrough. The flange presents a mounting face for engaging the support structure and an outer seal groove therein and an outer seal is disposed in the outer seal groove for sealing the flange to the support structure. The flange has a recess therein disposed radially inwardly of the outer seal groove and has an annular wall extending downwardly to a bottom surrounding the passageway. The assembly is characterized by the bottom having an inner seal groove disposed therein and an inner seal disposed in the inner seal groove for sealing engagement with the flow control valve.